A Nakama's Grief
by AliciaRoseFantasy
Summary: A small series of short stories on the subject of those lost - Nalu friendship.
1. One

**Hey, guys. I've been watching Fairy Tail lately (oww, my emotions) and kept having these ideas nagging around in my brain, so I had to write them down.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

* * *

"Hey, Natsu? You okay?"

Lucy slowly slid into a seat and sat next to the unusually quiet Dragon Slayer. He was perched at the bar in front of a largely untouched tray of food, uncharacteristically still.

He turned slightly until he met her face, before twitching his mouth up into a small smile, onyx eyes meeting brown. She let her own cheeks stretch in response, but he looked away, not having spoken a word.

Lucy's smile fell. Natsu tilted his face down as he gazed absentmindedly at the bench, his pink locks falling over his forehead, shadowing his eyes.

Concern immediately etched into Lucy's features, as she slid back off the chair to stand directly beside her normally energetic friend. She knew how much the pinkette loved his food, always eating with such wholehearted vigour. But now...now there was no sign of that joyful enthusiasm.

"Natsu?" she asked again, softer, a small catch to her voice. She laid a hand on his exposed shoulder.

"Lucy, I...I don't feel well."

As soon as the words had left his mouth, Lucy gasped, worry radiating through her. The simpleness and the direct nature of his words caught her off guard. Natsu never admitted to illness, at least not like that. It was so unlike him.

Lucy stood for a moment, looking down at her friend, observing, before her expression softened once more. She gazed around at the guild, taking in the usual rowdiness of its members—either having a late lunch, a lively conversation, sprouting a loud debate on some matter or another, or quietly perusing the mission board—before turning back to the still Fire Mage. Looking closer, she could see the pale tinge to his face, the twitch of his hand whenever there was a particularly loud noise, and the way his body was curled up, coiled tense.

Seeing this was no place for a boy who'd been raised by a _dragon_ of all things when he felt ill, she made a decision.

"That's alright, Natsu. Would you like to go back to my place?" she offered, knowing the Dragon Slayer felt most comfortable and at ease in her apartment. Turning around, Lucy spotted Happy in the crowd, and discreetly waved him over.

Natsu briefly looked up at her, before grunting in affirmation, showing appreciation at her invitation.

Happy quickly flew up to their position, white feathered wings spread behind him.

"Hey, Lucy, what's going on?" His cheerful eyes settled on her, before drifting to his appointed foster father, where the look immediately dropped. He gasped. "Natsu?" he asked, before flying over and resting a blue paw on the pink tufts of hair.

Lucy watched the cat as Natsu smiled, acknowledging his friend.

"Hey, buddy," he said softly.

Lucy continued to observe the boy and feline for a moment, as Happy obviously picked up on his friend's suffering. "Natsu's not feeling well, Happy," she addressed the cat. "Do you think you could help me carry him to my apartment?"

The little cat nodded in quiet determination at her proposal, before placing his paws on the back of Natsu's vest, and gently lifting him up in the air. Lucy watched as Natsu slightly curled up at the movement, like a kitten being carried by its mother, before she slowly began to lead them away from the others, quietly making their way out of the guild so as not to draw attention to the sick dragon.

* * *

When out in the sunshine, they made their way through the streets of Magnolia at a steady pace—Happy flying Natsu a few feet off the ground alongside Lucy.

A few citizens gave the Dragon Slayer soft looks of concern but, for the most part, they were left alone until they finally reached Lucy's apartment.

Getting out her key, she unlocked the door before silently leading the pair up to her bedroom.

"Here," Lucy said, as she pulled back the blankets, allowing the blue Exceed to deposit his charge comfortably in the bed.

As soon as Natsu was relaxed, she pulled the blankets back up and tucked him in. One look at his face showed the Dragon Slayer was already asleep.

Recognising how tired he was, she moved over to the chair, and sat down. Happy immediately curled into her lap.

"Will he be okay?" the blue Exceed asked, looking at the figure in the bed worriedly.

Lucy smiled while stroking his fur, admiring the cat's dedication to his dear friend.

"Yes, I'm sure he'll be okay, Happy. Just let him rest," she reassured, ignoring the worry in her heart. She knew Natsu was strong, and had faith that whatever he was dealing with, he'd come through it alright.

* * *

Many hours went by as Lucy and Happy occupied themselves around the house: Lucy making dinner and reading a book, and Happy curled up on the bed next to Natsu, aiming concerned glances to his face every now and then.

Throughout it all, the Fire Wizard slept peacefully, his breaths even and deep.

* * *

As it got later into the night, Lucy sat up on the edge of the bed, leaning against the headboard. She read a story out loud to Happy, absentmindedly running her hands through Natsu's pink locks, before they eventually fell asleep.

* * *

Lucy stirred, stretching out her limbs before opening her eyes. She was lying on her bed, the blankets pulled up over her. She stared into space for a minute, disorientated, before she remembered everything.

"Ah...!" she said, quickly throwing off the blankets to check on her friend, only to be met with a pair of dark onyx eyes and a smiling face.

"Hey, Lucy!" Natsu proclaimed cheerfully from where he was stood to the side of the bed, which he was no longer occupying. "We made breakfast. Wanna see?"

"Huh...?" Lucy said, confused. Her voice was sleepy as she rubbed her eyes, trying to chase away the last lingers of sleep.

"Yeah, we made food. Come on!" And before she knew it, a hand was grabbing hers and pulling her out of bed, dragging her into the living room where an assortment of delicious smelling food lay on the table. "See, we did good. Didn't we, Happy?"

"Aye, sir!" the cat proclaimed from where he was over near the stove, balancing a plate of pancakes and flying them over to the table. He then proceeded to absolutely drown them in maple syrup, before smiling up at her.

"Ah...wow," she said, unsure what else to say.

"Haha! I knew she'd like it," Natsu exclaimed proudly, small canines visible as he split his face in a huge grin.

Lucy warmed. "Heh. Thanks, guys," she responded, sitting down at the table. She examined the various options, before carefully picking out what she preferred.

Natsu's grin just grew bigger, before he sat down also, heaping varying foodstuffs onto his plate.

Lucy watched him for a while as he enthusiastically ate, Happy enjoying a large fried fish next to him, before her curiosity got the better of her.

"Ugh, Natsu?" she asked.

"Hmm," he replied, happily swallowing his latest mouthful.

"What happened?"

Natsu paused in his eating, before meeting her eyes, the pupils softening. He looked down at his plate, an air of sadness surrounding him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Natsu. I didn't mean to upset you—"

"Yesterday was the anniversary of the day, seven years ago, that Igneel disappeared."

Lucy gasped, freezing in place at the mention of her orphaned friend's dragon father.

A sheen of tears covered his eyes.

She stared, a lump forming in her throat as the implications set in, and she understood.

Moving from the table, she wrapped her arms around the Fire Mage, holding him in a hug. Happy made a small, sad noise next to them, and rested a paw on Natsu's arm.

Natsu's head drooped low, and Lucy rested her cheek against his pink hair as they remained in silence.

"Are you alright now?" she asked after a few minutes. Natsu seemed to consider it for a second, before smiling, revealing his shiny white teeth again.

"Yeah, thanks to you." He grinned up at her, and she smiled back, happy her friend was okay. "Hey," he then said. "Wanna go on a mission?"

"Huh...?"

"We should. It'll be fun!"

And before she knew it, she was running around, packing and heading for the guild hall to pick out a new job, with her best friend and his loyal feline following close behind her.

"Hey, Natsu?" she said, gazing at the light now shining once again in his face as they walked. "You never have to be alone again, okay?"

He grinned back at her with a chuckle, his expression softening with gratitude, before closing his eyes. "I know."

And with that, they opened the doors of the guild hall, ready for another new day.

* * *

 **This is going to be a small series of stories centered around grief. I'll upload the others when I've finished editing them :) I hope you enjoyed.  
**

 **Also, I am very new to this fandom, so I hope I got everything right!**


	2. Two

**Hey guys. Thanks so much for the lovely reviews, they made me smile :) And sorry this took so long; I spent ages tying to perfect it. I hope you enjoy!**

 **This one is set much later in the series, sometime after the 7 year time skip.**

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Natsu's eyes snapped open as he was jolted from sleep, staring at the ceiling. He grunted as he tried to discern what had awoken him in the blackness of night, as he lay in his assigned bed. Fuzzy thoughts swirled through his mind, before his dragon hearing picked up a sound coming from across the room.

He gasped, sitting up.

His gaze drifted around the inn room where they were currently staying, moving over his sleeping friends' forms, until it rested on one particular bed. He could clearly hear the sounds of crying coming from beneath the sheets, the blanket moving with every painful lurch of the occupant's shoulders.

Natsu's face dropped with concern, and he got up, quietly padding his way across the floor. He stopped at the side of the bed, looking at the figure within, strands of blonde hair poking out from under the duvet.

"Lucy."

The figure paused, before popping their face up to look in his direction. Lucy stared at him in the blackness for a second, before she finally made out the shiny shimmer of his onyx eyes in the dark. She sniffed.

"Natsu."

Natsu watched her as she rubbed her most likely red-tinged eyes for a moment, before he sat on the edge of her bed.

Lucy sniffed once again and wiped her cheeks, before sitting up to face him.

They stayed in silence for a while, broken by Lucy's occasional sob, before the Celestial Mage spoke up.

"It's just so hard, you know. Seven years, and just like that, he's gone."

New tears made their way down Lucy's face, and Natsu turned towards her, quietly placing a hand on her arm.

"I...I just don't understand what's wrong with me. One moment I'm fine, and the next I'm crying my eyes out. I thought I was over this!" Her mouth pulled into a pained grimace as she covered her face. "I'm so w-weak."

"No. No, you're not. You could never be weak, Lucy. It's ok to be sad."

Lucy looked up at him. "Is it? Really? It's just...you guys depend so much on me, and you're all so strong. I feel like I'm letting you down."

"You could never let us down, Lucy." Natsu smiled kindly. "It's perfectly ok to be sad. I _still_ feel sad all the time over Igneel."

Lucy sniffed. "Really?"

Natsu couldn't help but pick up on the hopeful tone in her voice.

"Really. You're familiar with what the guys always say; it took me forever to get over it." He looked down, a sad feeling washing over him. "I very nearly never did. I kept searching—I couldn't give up. I looked everywhere. I never stopped. The pain was so bad it wouldn't go away." A lone tear trickled down Natsu's face to drop on their joined skin. Lucy gasped, surprised by the emotional display from the usually positive, overly head strong Dragon Slayer.

Natsu looked up at her, meeting her gaze. "But it did eventually fade, because my friends never let it destroy me. They provided me with a home, a family, and friendship, just like we do for you. So, if you're ever feeling down, just know that we're close by, ok? And you don't ever have to hide it."

Several tears flowed down Lucy's cheeks.

"But...why? It's been months. I didn't even have a good relationship with my dad, and yet, I can't get over it! Why is he still affecting me this way? And after all this time..."

"Like I said, I still feel sad sometimes, too. It comes and goes. I'll have days where I miss Igneel so much. Where I'll miss his warmth, and his presence..." Natsu smiled wistfully. "But that's just how it works. You never forget them, and they stay with you forever. No matter what happens. It just means that you loved them."

Lucy sobbed, before suddenly reaching forward, and grabbing Natsu in a hug. He grunted at first, before smiling, and pulling her against him.

"Thank you, Natsu."

"You're welcome, Lucy."

They pulled back, and Natsu flashed her a big grin, visible in the darkness.

Lucy smiled hesitantly in return, wiping drying tears from her eyes.

"Now just remember, if you ever feel the need to cry, I'm right here, ok? We all are."

Lucy sniffed but nodded, brown eyes wide, before Natsu leaned forward and pressed their foreheads together.

They remained that way for a few long moments.

"Goodnight, Lucy," he said, tucking her back in bed, brushing his nose against hers in a friendly dragon kiss.

Lucy giggled at her friend, before responding. "Goodnight, Natsu."

Natsu quietly made his way back to his own bed and burrowed himself beneath the blankets. While Lucy rested back against her own pillow, a smile spread across her face.

* * *

In a bed next to Lucy's, Erza Scarlet lay awake, a proud expression on her face at her nakama, before she too pulled her blankets up, quietly returning to slumber.

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 **Thank you for reading. There's still more to come soon :)  
**


	3. Three

**Objects can sometimes have a very unique, special meaning to us, especially when it comes to grief.**

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"Hmm." Natsu leaned back at the table, stretching from where he'd just devoured the last of Lucy's homemade chicken. "Hey, when do you think Lucy'll be back?"

On the table next to him, the blue Exceed continued to nibble on the remains of his tinned fish, none other than stolen from the pantry.

"Don't know. Maybe she's on a mission with Erza."

"I thought you were supposed to be helpful," Natsu grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Aye!" Happy replied.

Natsu gave his feline friend a befuddled look, before slumping down with a sigh.

"I guess we'll just have to wait for her."

"Aye," the cat chanted again half-heartedly, before reaching for another tin, opening it with a clawed crack.

Natsu sighed a second time, before something caught his attention. He took a whiff of air. Other than the usual smells of Lucy's apartment, there was something else, something lingering in the back of his nose. Something that didn't belong.

He sniffed again.

His eyes slitted as he sorted through the different scents, searching for the one that didn't match. His ears sharpened to alertness.

Happy continued to eat his meal, oblivious, not having noticed the change in the Dragon Slayer.

Food forgotten, Natsu continued to sniff the air, nose twitching slightly, listening for any sound.

There. Natsu's head snapped to the side as he heard a definite creak, coming from the direction of Lucy's bedroom. Standing from his seat, he began to move from the room, leaving the Exceed behind as he munched on his fish.

Creeping up towards Lucy's room he stopped at the door, silently plastering himself against the wall. Leaning forward, he rested his ear against the wood, listening. On the other side, he could clearly hear fabric shuffling, and the distinct sound of someone breathing. His eyes sharpened further, taking on a slightly emerald colour as his dragon senses increased.

He followed the sounds as the person moved around the room, muttering the odd curse under their breath, before he reached forward, winding his hand slowly around the door knob.

"Nobody takes Lucy's stuff," he growled under his breath, before throwing the door open and leaping through.

The thief started, dropping his bag full of stolen belongings, scrambling back in shock. He wore all black, concealing his figure, with a dark mask covering his face.

They stared at each other for a moment, both sizing the other up, before Natsu spoke.

"You won't get away with trying to steal from my friend," he growled, baring his teeth.

The thief yelled in alarm the minute he caught a glimpse of the sharp fangs, and immediately recognised the figure before him—the pink hair, the black, gold-trimmed cloth around his waist. It was at that moment, that the robber realised he was in too deep.

"S—Salamander," he stuttered.

Natsu pounced.

The guy crashed into the wall, sliding to the floor as Natsu pinned him down, straddling him.

"What are you doing stealing from Lucy, huh? What makes you think you can just take other people's stuff, sneaking into their homes at night? Oomph." The robber managed to give Natsu a kick in the stomach, before attempting to slip away. Natsu tightened his hold, flattening him to the ground with his body.

"You didn't...answer...my question," Natsu breathed, steam blowing out of his nose.

The robber yelped, squirming with fear and attempting to turn his face away from the angry fire dragon's.

Natsu growled again, fangs bared, ready to blast him into oblivion.

"Natsu?"

Both men paused.

Lucy was standing in the doorway—purse over her shoulder, front door key still in hand—with a startled expression on her face. From where he was hovering beside her, the Exceed had an equally shocked expression, staring at his foster father—tangled on the floor with a robber.

"Oh. Hey, Lucy!" the Dragon Slayer greeted cheerfully.

"Ughhhh," groaned the man below him.

"What's going on? Lucy asked. "And what are you all doing in my house?!"

Natsu's mood changed and he growled low in his throat. "This guy was trying to steal your things," he said, giving said man a death glare.

"Hu...I...I...I wasn't doing nothin. Let me go, please! Get this crazy dude off of me!" the robber screamed, practically hyperventilating.

Natsu bared his teeth. "Oh, yeah? Then explain to me why you were snooping around in her house?"

The guy whimpered. "Ahhh, nothing? I-I saw the window open, and I wanted to make sure the lady was safe."

"Lies!" Natsu screamed, before sucking in a breath, drawing air into his lungs.

A hand slapped over his mouth before he could unleash a torrent of flames.

Steam poured out of his nose, and he gulped, as he was forced to swallow back the fire.

"Natsu, that's enough," Lucy said sternly, as she pushed him out of the way. "Let me deal with this."

She stood in front of the robber, one hand on her key pouch, in a ready stance.

"Alright, I'll give you one chance. Now tell me the truth."

Her voice held an edge of steel, as her gaze bore into the black-clad man sprawled on her carpet.

The man stared at her, then shivered, and shivered again.

"I'm sorry! I didn't have any money to feed my daughter, I was just looking for some food for her."

Lucy's stern look faded, as she gave the guy a re-evaluating look.

"Oh, yeah? Then why have you got this in your bag?"

Lucy and the robber turned around to see Natsu holding up the black sack, pulling out several smaller bags filled with jewels, some of Lucy's various valuables, and a beautiful red music box.

"Hey!" Lucy yelled, and snatched up said box, holding it close to her chest.

Natsu gave her a quizzical look, before she sighed.

"That's my mother's. Father...father sent it to me for one of my birthdays while we were suspended in time." She carefully looked over the glossy surface. "She used to play it to me when I was a little girl, before she...before she..." Lucy's voice choked up as she looked down, her eyes gaining a wet sheen.

Natsu walked over to her and put an arm around her shoulders in understanding.

"Hey, it's ok. It's safe now. I promise. And you," Natsu turned around and faced the robber who was currently trying to sneak away in their distraction, fist lighting ablaze with flame. "You're not going anywhere. Apologise to her!"

The man gulped, what little of his face that could be seen turning ashen white.

"You tried to steal something precious to Lucy, so apologise!"

"I...I...I'm sorry," was mumbled, then the guy bolted, heading for the window.

"Oh no you don't," Natsu growled, and punched him with a flaming fist to the backside.

The guy yelped.

"Lucy, do I have permission to beat him up now?"

Lucy smiled slightly. "Sure. Just leave him in one piece, ok?"

"Heh heh, yeah," Natsu said, while placing his flaming fists together as the robber whimpered.

"Fire Dragon!—"

"JUST NOT IN MY APARTMENT...!"

And if a small portion of Magnolia heard a loud scuffle coming from the local Celestial Mage's windows, no one said anything of it, as the robber had been targeting their homes all week.

* * *

 **First upload of the year! I hope you guys liked that, and if you have a moment, could you please leave a review with your thoughts? Even if it's just a small one? It would really make my day. As a writer, it really helps to know if anyone is enjoying your work. It makes a world of difference. I hope you have a happy 2018 :)  
**


	4. Four

"Open, gate of the—"

Lucy trailed off as a scream filled the air, a very _familiar_ scream.

A shiver crawled down her spine.

"Natsu," she gasped, before spinning and running in the direction of the sound, her current opponent completely forgotten about as he was deemed unworthy of her attention under the present circumstances.

Moving through the destruction of the fight—occasional explosions erupting from various directions, originating from her comrades still in battle—the blonde Spirit Mage dropped to her knees beside a prone figure, carefully rolling him onto his back.

The Fire Mage was completely unconscious, knocked out cold, most likely from a powerful blast of magic. He must have completely depleted his reserves...

Lucy cursed his recklessness. Of all the times to go all out when they were facing a large group of wizard thugs that had been robbing the local town. They'd been hired to capture the criminals and put an end to their base of operations. _Of course_ Natsu would think it would be a great idea to destroy the whole building and let his guard down. These wizards may have been weak, but there were a lot of them. And as Natsu had seemingly discovered, not all of them were complete amateurs.

"Natsu, you idiot," she whispered fondly. She gently checked his body for any injuries, but other than the magic depletion and what looked like a knock on the head, he seemed to be fine. She slipped her fingers behind his neck to lift his head and closer inspect the bump, only to have them brush against smooth skin. Her face pulled in confusion and she looked down. That's when she noticed it. His neck. His _bare_ neck.

She gasped, and immediately started looking around for the Dragon Slayer's beloved scarf.

...She couldn't find it.

Quickly standing, she turned in a circle, scanning the ground around her in a panic.

 _No. She couldn't lose it. She had to find it!_

She knew how much Igneel's scarf meant to Natsu. It was the only remnant he had left of his father. She'd never forgive herself if she was the reason he lost it.

An ominous chuckling came from the left of her, and she turned around to see an overly cocky, dark-haired wizard standing on the top of a half toppled down wall. In his hand was dangling the precious, white dragon scale scarf.

"Looking for this?" he taunted, cackling further. "I've heard how much the famous Salamander loves this thing. Rumour has it he never takes it off." He lifted it up closer to his face, contrasting it against his skin. "Hmm, what do you think? Maybe I should keep it."

Lucy gave him a hard glare, clenching her fists in anger.

"How dare you," she growled.

The wizard just smirked while casually fingering the material, weaving it between the digits. "Hmm, on second thought, maybe not. It's not really my colour."

Lucy huffed. Growing increasingly annoyed with this man's stupidity, she slowly began reaching for her belt.

"You know, they say the Fire Dragon who raised him gave it to Salamander before disappearing. I wonder what'll happen if I was to destroy it?"

Lucy yelled, leaping forward and pulling out her whip, aiming for the dark mage currently in possession of Natsu's scarf.

He dodged.

"Ooo, you're a feisty one, aren't you? I just can't help it. Stealing things is what we do. After all, we _are_ thugs, you know."

Lucy slammed into the ground where he threw her with a sudden blast of wind magic.

 _So, that's how he got a one up on Natsu_ , she thought, knowing the Fire Mage had trouble with wind magic on occasion, as it counteracted his flames and made him motion sick.

She once again sighed at Natsu's carelessness, before getting back on her feet, sizing up her opponent. She would never live it down if she let this guy get away with Natsu's scarf.

"Open, gate of the lion, Loke," she said, from where she'd grabbed a key from her pouch. A burst of light later and the Celestial Spirit was standing in front of her, the Dark Wizard having quickly disappeared in an explosion of magic.

"Thanks, Loke."

"No problem, Lucy."

"This idiot's got Natsu's scarf," she explained, moving forward with determination and peering through the settling dirt.

"I see," said the spirit in understanding, before they were both thrown back by another gust of wind.

Loke skidded to a halt, before muttering several words and unleashing another spell as Lucy tumbled along the ground, grumbling in annoyance.

Tendrils of golden light streamed out towards their opponent, before a yelp could be heard, as magic and villain collided in one massive display of light.

"That should do the trick," Loke muttered, brushing his hands together casually as if to clear away dirt, before a cackle came from the right of them.

"You messed with the wrong wizard, punks," the Dark Mage said menacingly, before bringing out a stick ignited in fire from behind his back and holding it up to the scarf until the flames surrounded it, cackling continually.

Lucy let out a gasp of alarm, before settling on a determined expression as it was soon revealed the fire did nothing to harm the dragon scale material.

"Huh?" the thug said in confusion, before he was thrown back by a kick in the stomach, followed by a karate chop to the face.

He fell to the ground with an undignifying whimper, cradling his aching jaw.

"Oh yeah? Well you messed with the wrong guild! No one steals from my friends," Lucy said, as she stood over him in a determined stance, ignoring the ache in her foot. She reached down and gently pried the scarf from his grip, cradling the precious material in her hands.

"Wow, those were quite some moves. You should use them more often," Loke complimented from behind her, pushing his sunglasses up.

"Yeah, well...this girl's tougher than you think," she replied proudly, before moving away from the groaning figure, and making her way towards Natsu.

Settling down on her knees, she gazed at the scarf stretched out within her hands, before her face fell sadly, noting the dirt and grime covering its surface. Gently shaking out the material, she began wiping off the dirt, carefully attempting to clean away the remnants of the battle.

"Here, let me help with that," Loke said as he came up behind her. He reached his hands down over the scarf, and they began to glow a golden light. When the light disappeared, it revealed that all the dirt was gone, the scarf back to its normally pristine, white appearance.

"Wow, thanks for that."

"No problem," the spirit replied.

Lucy reached down and gently lifted Natsu's head, placing her hand behind his hairline. Lucy noted how vulnerable the Fire Mage's slender neck seemed without his scarf, and immediately felt a wave of anger and protectiveness surge through her.

Winding the material around, Lucy gently secured the beloved object back where it belonged.

Checking it wasn't too tight around the boy's throat, she gently lay him back down on the ground, making sure he was comfortable.

"Cause that's what friends are for," she murmured with a smile.

A small groan caught her attention, and she looked up at the Fire Mage's face.

"Ugh, Lucy?" he coughed, blinking his eyes open.

"Hey, Natsu. It's me. How are you feeling?"

"Aww, my head," the Fire Mage complained. "Wait, what happened?" He suddenly sat up in alarm, before groaning and bringing a hand up to his temple in obvious pain.

"You depleted your magic power and took a knock to the head. But it's ok, you should be just fine."

"What!? But I was gonna beat that guy! Where'd he go?"

The Fire Mage looked frantically around the decimated building, before his eyes came to rest on the still groaning form lying across the way.

"Huh, what happened to him?"

"He was on the receiving end of Lucy's wrath," said Loke, and Lucy looked around, having forgotten he was there.

"Lucy's wrath? Why, what happened?"

Lucy sighed at Natsu's denseness, before answering the question.

"He tried to steal your scarf."

"WHAT!?" Natsu yelped, before frantically feeling for his scarf, immediately relaxing when he found it there.

"She beat the snot out of him to get it back. You should be grateful; you have a loyal friend on your hands," Loke provided.

Natsu chuckled softly, before looking at Lucy and giving her a smile. "Yeah, I know." His face softened. "Thanks, Lucy."

Lucy grinned in return. "I wouldn't have it any other way. We're practically family."

"We are family," Natsu responded, before pulling Lucy into a big hug. "I love you, Lucy. And thank you."

Lucy chuckled. "I love you too, Natsu."

Loke hummed with a smile at the innocent exchange, before reaching up and once again fiddling with his glasses.

"Well, I'd better leave you to it. See ya later, Luce."

"Bye, Loke," the Spirit Mage replied.

And with that, he disappeared in a flash of light.

"Lucy! Natsu! Is everyone okay?" they heard, and looked up to see Happy and the others approaching them.

"Yeah, we're fine," Lucy said as they disentangled from their hug. "I think we're finished here."

"Aye," Happy said, landing at their feet as they stood up, gazing at the still moaning evidence of their battle.

"Good, then let's get out of here. Our job is done," Erza said, nodding, as they made their way out of the rubble, and into the afternoon sunshine.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading :) There should be one more after this, unless anyone has any requests.**


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